


Solace and the Temple

by TeaBoss



Category: The Heroes of Olympus - Rick Riordan
Genre: Established Relationship, M/M, Other, jungle time, prophecy time
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-18
Updated: 2017-10-18
Packaged: 2019-01-18 23:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,603
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12398643
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TeaBoss/pseuds/TeaBoss
Summary: A prophecy unfulfilled for a long time, and it just so happens that Will might be the one to finish it. But at what cost?





	Solace and the Temple

**Author's Note:**

> This story will start with Will's point of view (Not first person)! Please enjoy the read!

It was a normal day, a normal day as possible at Camp Half-Blood. Will Solace had just finished his duties as the head counselor of the Apollo cabin and was spending the time before dinner out in the woods, while there was still light out, picking herbs. He had a feeling he'd need them after capture the flag tomorrow. The Ares cabin promised that much after a certain incident with a tuba, and there was no arguing with Clarisse when she was angry. 

“Stupid tuba.” He grumbled under his breath, stuffing some yarrow in his satchel as he did. Just because their father was the god of music, any incident involving it was their fault. Did anyone in the cabin own a tuba? He'd have to check with his siblings on that matter. The dinner bell rang in the distance, snapping him out of his thoughts. He hadn’t noticed it had gotten that late. Just as he was on his way out, he felt a pair of eyes on him that were _definitely_ not human. Not that it was unusual for that in the forest, but this was different. Dangerous different.

Cautiously he turned and backed up past the edge of the woods, dropping his bag in favor of drawing his bow and nocking an arrow taken from his quiver. He scanned the tree line with sharp eyes, looking high and low for any signs of movement through the trees. Once, he shot a warning arrow deep into a tree trunk. Nothing stirred, approaching or retreating, but he could’ve sworn he saw _something_. He was just about to lower his bow when a ‘snap!’ from a careless step behind Will caused him to whirl around, reaching for another arrow but immediately stopped. Why? Because behind him stood the king of ghosts, son of Hades, Nico di Angelo. His boyfriend, with black smoke coming off him from shadow travelling, looked just as startled as he did. 

“Uh, Will?” Nico spoke, dark eyes on the arrow that had just almost been aimed at his face, then peeked behind Will into the woods. “Did something—Are you okay?” he asked, dark eyes full of concern as he stepped forward, reaching up to grab his hand. He didn’t even realize they were shaking. 

“I—I’m fine! It’s nothing, probably.” He wasn’t sure if he was trying to convince Nico, or himself. Either way, he took the other demigod’s hand in his own and started leading them toward the dining pavilion. “I’m going to talk to Chiron after dinner, though. Just to be safe.” He added when the look he got didn’t go away. “I need to gather the cabin, and you can sit with us, alright?” The son of Hades didn’t seem to buy it, but he nodded nonetheless and they made their way to the pavilion together.

 

~Nico~

 

Luckily for Will, and Nico, the Apollo kids had all gathered with no problem. Will did a head count, and making the usual excuse of ‘Nico is here because I need to check for shadow-travel fatigue’, which was never questioned by them and appreciated by the son of Hades. Nico, watched while Will plopped down and ran a hand through his curls, thinking behind his blue eyes. Whatever it was that Will saw, or didn’t see, in the woods clearly spooked him. Nico could tell he was keeping his cool, for the sake of his brothers and sisters, chatting with them about their day, the game tomorrow, etcetera. It wasn’t hard, considering Will’s default state was calm. It was a quality Nico appreciated in the counselor, but it didn’t fool him. Will seemed to know that, because when he looked from across the hall to Chiron to Nico, the counselor furrowed his brows, then sighed in defeat, mumbling. “Staring contests.” 

“You should know better by now.” Nico commented, and despite the seriousness of the situation he cracked a smile when Will made a so-so gesture with a half-grin.

“I should, and yet...” Will paused, looking back over as Chiron stood up, and he watched as Will did as well, turning to Nico with a better smile. “We can talk on our walk, yeah?” He nodded as his boyfriend bent down and placed a warm kiss atop his head, before grabbing his half-finished plate and hurrying off to speak with the activities director. Nico waited at the table while the other campers went and made their offerings, before following suite. 

He wandered the grounds for a few minutes while waiting, briefly playing with Mrs. O'Leary up until he started back to the pavilion—until he saw a ghost, a teenage boy, standing in his way. Long black curls fell to his shoulders, and blue eyes stared at him. He wore a simple button-down shirt and jeans, and around his neck was a leather necklace, not unlike his own camp one, but instead of beads, it held a medallion of a four-pointed sun. This was a demigod, another son of Apollo.

“We must speak.” he stated, and Nico felt a sense of dread at the simple request. It wasn’t because they were a ghost, that didn’t bother him. What had happened with Will, a son of Apollo, and seeing this other son, it wasn’t good. It was connected. Nico looked around. Nobody else seemed to notice the ghost, who was now walking away, raising a hand for Nico to follow him. He hesitated, hurrying after him away from the other campers. 

The ghost stopped just around a pillar, suddenly looking just as hesitant to speak. Their eyes seemed focused on the forest in the distance, and a ghostly hand came up to clutch the necklace around their neck. “Child of Hades, the beasts await one of my half-brothers.” The ghost started to explain when Nico interrupted.

“Will? Will Solace?” The ghost nodded.

“Will. They wait to bring him to their false master. Only a child of Apollo, a healer, can do what they ask.” The ghost explained. “The beasts will succeed, but what they say is not what should be done. I realized this and…” Nico watched as the ghost gasped, eyes wide. 

“ _The healing son, stolen at first light,_  
_Taken under where the sun burns bright_  
_Inside the stone, a life will dim,_  
_Should he choose—”_

Nico stiffened when the ghost broke off, before getting close to him and speaking again. “An old prophecy, yet to be fulfilled. So many have died for a cause that should not be. I seek peace, child of Hades. Warn him.” Nico was about to respond when he spotted Will heading toward them, or at least him. Could Will see the ghost? The expression on the approaching teen told him no. Nico looked back to the ghost. “I will.” The ghost nodded, turning away from him toward the forest, before vanishing. Will looked to Nico, then to where he was looking before looking back again.

“Nico? Everything alright?” His boyfriend asked, and Nico nodded. “Yeah.” Just a ghost popping up, telling me to warn you some mystery beasts are going to kidnap you and make you heal some master of theirs. _Not yet_ , he thought to himself. Telling him now might just scare him, and that wouldn’t help at all. Will didn’t seem to notice, thankfully, shrugging it off as they walked to the cabins. 

They only made one stop on their walk, at the Apollo cabin so Will could check on his cabinmates. He told Nico he didn’t want a repeat of the ‘midnight musical charades’ and to check for a tuba. Turns out, nobody at the cabin had one. Nico thought it better not to ask. Once that was done, they headed down the path to the Hades cabin. Will kept one arm over his shoulder, and in return Nico held the hand. They walked in comfortable silence before he broke it with a question.

“So, what did Chiron say?”

“Oh, he told me there hasn’t been any attacks or alarms set off, nothing came out of the labyrinth. Nobody has seen anything— _I_ didn’t either, but I know there was something there!” His boyfriend explained, rubbing his face with his free hand. “He said he'd send out a group to have a look around, just in case but…” Will trailed off, unsure of what to say. Nico squeezed his hand lightly, getting his attention as they stopped in front of the obsidian cabin. 

“I believe you. Why don't—” he hesitated, but continued. “Why don't you stay here tonight? I’m sure walking back to your cabin alone doesn’t sound appealing right now.” Nico added quickly, but despite that a tinge of red appeared on both their faces, mostly because of the camp rule, but even though it they’d stayed the night together before. They were just being _teenagers_. “Nobody comes by this cabin, anyway.” He added, looking up at Will. In the green light of the torches, he looked a little relieved.

“Yeah, I’d be up for that.”

 

~Will~

 

The Hades cabin wasn’t ideal for sleepovers, anyone could see that. After Nico had decided to stay, he made a few adjustments; windows were one of them. It was still dark, spooky, and always gave off a ‘don’t open, dead inside’ vibe according to some campers that dared to peek in. Will didn’t mind so much. On Nico’s side of the cabin, the walls were decorated with several Mythomagic and band posters. Some shelves had old figurines and books, while others held some things from Nico’s room down in the Underworld. The occasional relic he wasn’t allowed to touch was there too, beside some spoils of monsters. Neither of which Will had any desire to touch.

Candles lit the space here and there, and it was on the bedside table that sat a flower, soft yellow-almost white that emanated a dim, yet comforting light. Will had gotten it for Nico (with the help of Demeter cabin, it took some persuading) when they first started going out. The thought made him smile. Then he had a pair of one of Nico’s bigger shirts and longer pajama pants were tossed to him, the black and white fabric effectively snapping him out of his happy thoughts.

Nico had already changed into a gray v-neck and skull patterned pajama pants, and was now crossing his arms and looking away—the kind of thing he did when he was contemplating something. Not sure if that thing was good or not, Will ducked around a corner to change into his own sleepwear.

“Will, there’s something I need to tell you.” Nico called, and when Will looked back, the son of Hades was now sitting on the vampire-esque bunk. He was pretty sure the only reason that he never changed that out was because it wasn’t 1. An actual coffin, and 2. It fit two people fairly comfortably.

“What’s up?” Will asked as he sat down on the bed, with one leg hanging off the edge as he watched his boyfriend, waiting. It took a minute, but Nico took a deep breath and told Will about the ghost, and what they had told him. Well, that’s exactly what he didn’t feel like hearing tonight. It couldn’t have been some chance encounter with monsters, it had to be a prophecy pointed at children of Apollo who could heal. “Well, there’s no helping it.” He stated calmly. Just as Nico was going to argue, he raised his hands and added “I can’t change a prophecy, I can only prepare for it. You know that. Not ideal, but…”

“But nothing! We shouldn’t just—” Nico stopped when Will grabbed his hands, shaking his head.

“Sit around and wait? No matter what happens, it didn’t say die, exactly. I could very well be fine.” It wasn’t a proper summary. “We can figure this out if we keep a cool head about it.” It wasn’t only Nico he was trying to make feel better, but if the son of Hades knew Will was just as worried, if not more... But he remained calm. He needed to. If he didn't, well, it wouldn’t do them any good. “I know you're worried, but it’ll be alright.” He finished, and watched as Nico looked down at their hands, thinking in silence before nodding. 

“You’re right. Of course you’re right.” Nico agreed with a sigh, leaning forward and giving him a chaste kiss on his cheek. “We should probably sleep, it’s getting late.” He murmured while peeking out the window, and Will nodded as they shuffled under the blankets together. He hummed a soft lullaby, watching as his boyfriend's dark eyes slowly shut. Will scooted forward, brushing hair out of his face to kiss his forehead. Once he was sure Nico was asleep—and he was sure, the other demigod slept like the dead—he didn’t follow. Instead he scooted out of bed, changing back into his camp clothes. He patted his pockets down for a pencil, and finding one he grabbed a scrap paper from a shelf and left a note on the bedside before sneaking out of the cabin. 

He knew it wasn’t fair to Nico, that was clear. But to tell him this idea was just asking to be called nuts. Maybe it was, but if something was going to try and snatch him up, it couldn’t happen in the middle of camp. It was going to happen on _his_ terms. 

Will’s first stop was the Apollo cabin, picking up his bow and quiver. He crept quietly so as to not wake his siblings, and he swore under his breath when he realized he had left his satchel at the woods. Maybe he'd be lucky and he could grab it. Or get luckier and not have to deal with any mystery monsters in the middle of the night, and be able to go back to bed. Ah, wishful thinking. But he knew it wasn’t going to happen. He made his choice. However, getting his leg caught on the Ares cabin’s barbed wires was _not_ his choice. He fell forward, just as the door was kicked wide open by none other than the counselor, Clarisse. 

“Who in the—” the war god's daughter started to say, when she was promptly shushed by Will while he untangled his jeans. It might not have been the best thing to do, the death glare made that clear, but he didn’t want to get mauled by the harpies for breaking curfew. He stood up, just in time as she stomped over and grabbed the front of his shirt. “What’s the big idea, Solace? Lurking around our cabin up to no good.”

“Okay, first off I wasn’t _lurking around_ , I was _sneaking past_ your cabin. Second I…” Will paused, considering what she'd do if he told her. Then he considered what she’d do if he _didn’t_. The choice was pretty clear. He told her about the monsters in the forest, their plan, his plan, and when it seemed she was sure he wasn’t lying, she set him down. 

“You got guts. Wait here.” Clarisse ordered, and Will watched as she stomped back into the cabin. He listened as she scolded some of her siblings. Not a moment later she came back out, shutting the door behind her, sword in hand, pointing it at him like she dared him to challenge her. “Lead the way, sun boy. They’re your invisible monsters.”  
His invisible monsters, right. With every minute Will wasn’t walking to the woods where something was going to try and nab him, his plan sounded more and more…well, he had to get on with it. Even if it meant not being alone. The only way to go was forward.

“Fine, but what I say goes, okay? Keep _quiet_ and follow me.” Will stated, turning away and heading away from the cabins. He thought he heard her scoff behind him, probably, but he didn’t care. He was grateful, to be honest. He wasn’t a fighter. If anyone could kill monsters in the dark, that neither of them knew anything about, it was her. Not that he’d admit it.

The two counselors snuck through the field between the cabins and woods, ducking down every time a harpy would pass by. Soon enough they reached the spot Will had been when he first thought something was watching him. Now there was nothing but fireflies in the area, occasionally lighting up the place here and there, and the satchel he had left earlier. He took out his bow and slung his bag over his shoulder, looking around at the tree trunks.

“What’re you doing, Solace?”

Will didn’t answer, stepping over to a tree—the one he had shot at earlier in the day. The hole from the arrow was there, alright, but not the arrow itself. He scanned the ground around the tree for it, but it wasn’t anywhere nearby. No, a few yards away in the light of the moon he caught the arrow tip glint. He waved Clarisse over, and the two of them stooped down to examine it.

It was Will’s, alright. The orange-yellow fletching indicated that. The arrow itself was snapped in half, like someone had broken and dropped it. What caught their attention was the head, which had bright red blood dried on one edge. Touching it left a slight burning sensation on his fingertips, and he quickly wiped in on his pants. He _had_ hit something earlier. Something…the realization hit him, and Will held up the arrow for the Ares counselor to look at as he explained what had happened earlier in the day.

“Invisible monster.” Will muttered, feeling like he was missing something else. Clarisse shook her head, not looking at him. 

“Invisible monsters.” She corrected, and he was about to ask when he heard it, too. The unmistakable sound of hissing. One, no—two or three different hisses, like snakes, coming from elsewhere further in the woods. Will drew an unbroken arrow from his quiver, and the two counselors looked at each other briefly, nodding, before heading toward the noise.

They stopped at a clearing, hiding behind a tree. The hissing was close now, as if the source was right there. On top of that, they could hear hissing, as if whatever was there was talking. As Clarisse was about to step out—possibly to start swing wildly and probably hit something, he never knew with war god kids—Will put a hand on her shoulder, furrowing his brows and shaking his head. The pair peeked around the tree trunk, looking for some indication that there were, in fact, monsters there and it wasn’t just lack of sleep in their ears.

That indication came in the form of the numerous fireflies, and Will elbowed Clarisse, who shot him a glare before he nodded toward the bugs. They watched them fly around the clearing, lighting not just the area, but every time one lit up a part of…some _thing_ was revealed before vanishing again. Will caught a glimpse of some dull-brown scales and feathers. It was difficult to see, they couldn’t get a full idea of what these things were, but they could be seen. With just a little bit of light. Three of the mystery creatures, invisible in the night. One bug flittered over a monster’s head and they caught a snake eye—looking in their direction.

They put their backs to the tree trunk, and no sound of approach followed. He hoped that meant they weren’t seen, and the monsters weren’t silent as well as invisible at night. Clarisse raised her sword, staring at Will expectantly.

“Your plan, sun boy. We can’t run and we can’t see them well enough to fight.” She hissed.

“I know. I’ve got an idea.” Will muttered, putting the plain arrow away in exchange for one with a short red stick at the head, showing it to the Ares counselor. “Flare arrow, it’ll give us good enough light for a while and call for back up without...” he trailed off as he explained, but they both nodded in agreement. These things couldn’t be allowed near camp. “Be ready, and cover your eyes.”

One second, then two. Will took a deep breath, then nocked his arrow. He stepped away from the tree and aimed straight up above the clearing, letting loose the flare. Smoke followed the red light as it shot into the clear night sky, illuminating the clearing before them—including the monsters.

Three large beasts, at least twelve feet tall, standing on their hind cat-like legs each with a long, scaled neck and anaconda-sized head, dappled brown. Feathers followed down to a plumed mane at the base of the neck, and following that was a round-ish fur body, with clawed hands and a long, drakon-esque tail. It’d be funny, if they weren’t three of them, hissing at the two of them in disorientation, fangs bared. 

“Now!”

Clarisse charged first from around the left side of the tree, and while the trio of monsters were distracted by the appearance of Will, or maybe they were focusing on him, she sliced the head off the leftmost beast and in death in left dust and a feathery snake skull. Now that caught their attention, but only one whirled around to face the Ares counselor, and the other one charged at Will. Great, they were _smart_ monsters.

Not that smart, it seemed. As soon as the actual fighting started, it became clear that the demigods had the advantage against the beasts. When it looked like Clarisse was in trouble, Will would shoot a flash arrow past their faces to disorient them, then duck out of the way. He wasn’t the best at archery, and the beasts were faster than they looked. The best he could do was distract them. The two beasts tried to advance on him at once, but Clarisse had none of it and snapped one's tail when they turned away from her. Just when it looked like they were in disarray, and Will thought maybe they’d beat them in a few more moves, the monsters started hissing to each other. That part about being not that smart? Whatever they said, it was bad for him and Clarisse. 

When the Ares counselor leaped to strike the snake heads, they ducked and one swung it’s tail straight at Clarisse, sending her flying into a tree. She fell to the ground with a groan, and from what Will could tell, she wasn’t getting back up. Which left him alone with two, very angry snake monsters. He had to keep an eye on both of them, and they kept trying to circle him. Not fun. He couldn’t draw an arrow without one of them lunging at him, so he held a dagger Clarisse had thrown at the monsters—which got conveniently stuck in the tree trunk next to his face—and slashed at them whenever he got the chance. He felt daylight coming, and apparently so did they. 

Their plumes, fur, and scales all changed color, from a dappled dull brown to vibrant shades of red and orange. It would've been pretty to see, if the beasts in question weren’t still attacking him as it happened. The change caught his attention long enough to have one of them spit (gross) some liquidy gunk at his face. It stung, and Will backed up fast while clearing it from his eyes. Faintly, he could hear several footsteps in the forest. But they wouldn’t reach him in time. His feet were pulled out from under him and not a moment later he was being dragged by his ankle through the woods every which way. At first he tried shoving the dagger into the ground to slow the beasts' escape, only to have it be ripped from his grasp as soon as it hit a rock. 

“HEY!” Something pounced on him, nearly crushing him, and at first he thought it was some other monster in the woods, but seeing camo and orange through blurred vision told him it was, in fact, the Ares counsellor back in action. The beasts weren’t expecting it, in a rush as they were to take Will away, but it didn’t stop them. He felt Clarisse get shoved away from him just as he was getting to his feet, she yelled, one beast screeched, and he was pulled away once more, thrown over a feathery shoulder and held in a death grip. He heard the daughter of Ares shout something, and he glanced forward to see a blurry Zeus' Fist. The Labyrinth. _Of course_. That’s how they got into the camp, invisible and unnoticed. Now he was going there by some snake beasts. 

Will looked back at Clarisse, and other campers further back and just as the first rays of morning sun came through the trees, Will was pulled into the Labyrinth, and everything went black. 

 

~Nico~

 

Nico woke from sleep in cold sweat, dark eyes wide with panic. His dream had been of Will, unconscious, the quiver on his back empty and his body covered in cuts and bruises, being carried through a jungle by two orange and red snake headed beasts. The red one carried the son of Apollo, while the other held a familiar satchel in their claws. They spoke in hushed voices, but Nico could hear them. 

“Our massster will rise with thisss one!” the red one said. 

“Yesss! The temple isss near!” the orange one stated, chewing some herbs taken from Will's bag. “We mussst prepare!” In the distance, a square-pyramid could be seen just slightly above the jungle treetops. A small temple with a stone canopy at the top, with no sign but a symbol of a fireball and curled beast carved in stone at the front.  
“The beast of sun stirs, and will wake with the voice of the sun!” They chanted in unison, and pulled Nico from the dream. As he looked around, hoping that is was a _just_ a dream and that Will was sleeping soundly next to him, a ball of dread formed in his stomach. He was nowhere to be found. A note on the bedside table caught his eye, and as he snatched it up to read it. 

_‘Nico,_  
_I know what I need to do, and I’m sorry._  
_Love, Will'_

The dread turned to panic, and he bolted out of bed just as someone knocked on the door. Nico hurried over and answered it, practically flinging the door open. Sunlight filled the dark cabin as he came face to face with the young camper who had knocked. 

“Uh, Nico di Angelo? Chiron w-wants to see you, at the infirmary.” They said, before running away, leaving Nico to hurry back inside to change before running out the door, down the path to the Big House.  
He pushed his way past several Apollo and Ares kids, and Chris Rodriguez. Chiron stood over Clarisse, who was sitting, holding her bandaged torso carefully. She sat up straighter when Nico approached, and without waiting for either of them to speak, he asked in a not-too-friendly tone. “What happened?!”

Nico listened as she told them Will's plan to face the beasts that night, to keep them away from camp so nobody would get hurt, she recounted finding the beasts in the woods—the same beasts Nico had seen in his dream, according to her description—how she killed one, pointing at the plumed skull in one of her cabinmates hands, and just when they were about to kill the other two, the monsters kicked it into overdrive and whooped their butts and took Will away. How she had tried saved him, but ultimately failed, and Will had been stolen away, into the Labyrinth. The look of anger Nico was giving her must've been bad, because she kicked off the blanket and stood up to glare back down at him, jabbing his chest with a finger.

“I TRIED to help, and I TRIED to save him, so don’t look at me like it’s MY fault, ghost boy! He was going to be alone out there if it wasn’t for me!” Clarisse snarled, and Nico felt his chest tighten. Chiron put his hands on their shoulders. 

“Thank you, Clarisse. Now—”

Nico huffed as she pushed past him out of the room, followed by her siblings and Chris. He looked back at Chiron, and the centaur resumed what he was about to say. “Now…their goal had been to take Will Solace away from camp. Will apparently knew this, and chose to act on it in a way to keep as many campers out of harm’s way as he could. We have little information on these beasts and none on what they’re planning but—”

“I know.” Nico interrupted, but paused, looking at Will's siblings. Chiron seemed to get the idea, and told the Apollo kids that their brother would be found, as soon as possible. It was little to comfort them, but they shuffled out of the infirmary, and Chiron and Nico headed to the study. Nico explained the dream as they walked, mentioning what he and Will had talked about the night before, trying to figure out the prophecy, and asked if Will would be okay. Chiron didn’t answer until they were inside. 

“If this ghost and your dream are accurate, and these creatures need Will to wake this master of theirs, then there is a chance to get him back.” Chiron stated with a nod. “He’s resourceful, and good at keeping calm in stressful situations. He'll find a way.”

“Yeah…” Nico, despite the comforting words he knew to be true, gave the centaur a skeptical look before lowering his gaze to fidget with his ring. “He’s somewhere in a jungle, and ‘Taken under where the sun is most bright’? That’s got to be south, right? It’s daytime here, it was daytime where they were. They might just be really far south.” He murmured, looking back up for confirmation. Chiron nodded, and just as Nico was about to leave the director stopped him.

“You cannot just go shadow-travelling alone, to an unknown place we don’t know how far away. Should you get there in a state of fatigue, you would be putting yourself at risk, and if these beasts were to catch you, you could be killed or used for leverage to have Will do as they want.” Chiron lectured, and Nico slumped. He knew that, but the idea of leaving Will to those things… “We need more information first, the books we have may shed some light on the subject.” The centaur added, and Nico nodded. Will had also told him not to panic. He needed to focus on finding more information.

It was easier said than done. There were numerous books at camp—some of the Apollo cabin came by to help them look. A temple in the jungle? Not very Greek, or Roman. Plenty of books of monsters trying to resurrect a master or something. Monsters that looked like a mash of several animals? Too many of those. They spent most of the day looking, and by the time dusk rolled around, it was just Nico left in the Big House, Chiron having left to consult with their Oracle. He thought he heard some of the Apollo kids mutter about not wanting to lose another counselor. _You won't_ he thought to himself, turning back to the shelves. He wasn’t giving up. 

The bell for dinner rang, but Nico didn’t listen. He only had a bit of time left before curfew, and he hadn't made any progress. Footsteps were coming down the hall, and he was half tempted to hide under the table. Just as he ducked down, one of the books supporting the table caught his eye. It was old, with leather binding and among several strange symbols on the cover, he thought he recognized one. With some difficulty he pulled the book free from under the table leg, and he sat cross-legged under the table to look at it closer. His suspicion was confirmed: the beast in the fireball. The title of the book itself? _Myths and Beasts of Mexico, by Tish Lulb, a daughter of Hermes and former convenience store worker._ Why that was on there, he didn’t know. But he finally had something. Just in time, because while he was busy looking at the book, watched someone approach the lopsided table, wearing a pair of military boots, and then they spoke.

“Get out from under there, di Angelo.”

 

~Will~

 

It was either dusk or dawn when Will woke up in a cage. At the moment it didn’t matter to him, because the first thing he did see, and smell, when he awoke was a skeleton laying in front of him, bits of flesh still hanging from the bone. He screamed, scrambling back as far as he could before he collapsed in pain. His entire body ached, and he remembered that he had been dragged halfway through the woods at camp. Yeah, that would do it. He was covered in bruises, welts, scratches, you name it. 

The worst of it came from his bicep and head, both of which were wrapped in bandages. Poorly, but still bandaged. He couldn’t remember how he got them, only a brief escape attempt, but Will hoped that the care meant they couldn’t afford to let him die, which meant he was safe. For now. It was a small comfort, but it helped him focus on something else. Like where he was, for example. He was in a cage.

The prison was made of wood, and looking closer he noted hard clay and twine holding the structure together sturdily, with no visible exit. Past the cage, he saw as he slowly got to his feet, was nothing but jungle. As if it couldn’t get more cliché, Will was sure that he was at the very top of a temple, under a stone canopy. All that was missing was an altar; but skeletons and snake beasts? Check. 

Thinking of the latter, Will looked around the surrounding area. In the approaching sunlight he saw neither of them, and for the moment he was glad for it. When he had been carried through the Labyrinth, before he lost consciousness he thought he heard the beasts talking. Maybe they’d tell him their evil plan, and he’d be able to trick them into letting him go without waking their ‘master’. For now he needed to make his own plan. 

His satchel was gone, and he emptied his pockets of their contents, which wasn’t much. Two golden drachmas, a roll of medical tape, and a—somehow unbroken—small glass bottle, a quarter filled with nectar. Will drank that, relaxing as it tasted like his mom’s homemade fruit punch, closing his eyes briefly as the nectar healed most of his minor wounds and worked on the worse ones. He considered himself lucky to even have that, considering he was briefly dragged through the woods. It would’ve been funny to think about him leaving a trail of loose change and whatever else had been in his pockets, if it didn’t leave him with only two coins, tape, and a now-empty bottle. 

“Come on Will, think.” He croaked, looking at them like he’d think of something he could use if he stared long enough. It didn’t work. He was the son of Apollo, not Athena, darnit. It was all sunshine and—he was going to say rainbows, but that was Iris. But that didn’t matter, because it gave him an idea. _Of course_ , he thought. This was a jungle, there was mist everywhere…Just not near him. He had to work on that, but first he needed to get information.

“Uh…Hey! Snakes? Anyone! Help!” Will shouted, as loud as he could. His voice cracked heavily with dryness, and he coughed loudly. How long had he been out? One or two days, maybe. At least he didn’t need to pretend to be dehydrated. “Please! Help!”

From the edge he saw one of the beasts, the orange one, exit the temple and come up the steps toward him, hissing. As soon as it reached the cage, the snake beast stuck its head through the wooden bars, causing Will to back up as it spoke.

“Do not ssscream, child of the sssun! Nobody can help you here! Sssave your voice, you will need it!” It made a noise that Will could guess was a laugh, and the beast pulled its head out of the cage and started to leave.

“Wait!” Will called, and the snake looked back at him and waited, thankfully. “I-I need water, or else I won’t be able to speak, or sing!” That caught it’s attention. “That’s what you need me for, right? To…to…” He trailed off, and just as he hoped the orange snake monster finished his sentence.

“To wake the beast! Our massster! To ssspring him from hisss ssslumber! Yesss!” It chanted, suddenly full of excitement. It scurried off down back into the temple, and Will tried to shout for it to come back to ask more questions, to no avail. A feeling of defeat swept over him and he slumped against the bars, resting his head against the wood. No, this was too important for those beasts. They were restless, how long had they been trying to wake their ‘master’? Was their time running out, to risk going into a camp full of demigods to get one that may or may not be able to? How—

He was pulled from his thoughts by a waterskin being tossed into the cage, sloshing around on the stone floor briefly before settling. Looking up, he found himself face to face with the red beast.

“Drink, child of the sssun. We cannot have you die.” This one seemed stricter, both in it’s hisses and movement, Will noted. “The time isss near, you will do your part.”

“To wake this…beast, your master?”

“Yesss.” The red snake bobbed its head in a nod and chanted.

“ _’When a child of the sun comes to see the beast. To right a wrong, he will choose or not to sing a hymn. Their life will peak, death it seeks, and then it will dim.’_ ”

It shook its head, before looking away from Will. “Drink, ressst, prepare, you will help usss, or you will die.” It left down the stones, returning inside and Will was left in silence for a minute to register what sounded like another prophecy. No, he needed to focus on the rainbow now. He was running out of time.

He drank most of the water, and saved the rest in both the waterskin, tying it to his belt, and the glass bottle, just in case. It was surprisingly clear, he wondered if there was a fountain inside. Even if there was, he still needed sunlight, and he was pretty sure there wasn’t any in the temple. What he needed was some flashlight.

Will would be lying if he said he hadn’t been avoiding the skeleton. It was the first thing he saw, and he was pretty sure it was going to be part of his dreams for nights to come. He didn’t want to look at it, let alone search it for a flashlight. He could already hear Nico scolding him. He _wished_ he could hear Nico, even if it was a scolding. But there was something else about the skeleton, something that said _‘I have what you need, if you dare.’_  
What made it worse was, when he did look at it he realized that whoever it had been was around his age. The skeleton was that of a teenager, a boy, in jeans and a button-down shirt and a few patches of long dry curls still on the scalp. More than a month old—He assumed the cause of death was a blow to the head judging from one of two fractures on the skull. Absentmindedly, Will put a hand to his own bandaged temple. _This could have been me_ , he thought. As he moved closer, his stomach twisted with a combination of fear, disgust, and sadness. Who had this person been? Another child of Apollo, an unknown half-brother of Will. Someone that didn’t get to Camp Half-Blood, or Jupiter, whose last moments could have been in terror, or here bleeding out on the floor. Will wiped tears from his eyes, apologizing several times over under his breath as he searched the boy’s pockets, only to come up short. Just when he was about to get away from the skeleton, a glint of metal caught his eye, peeking out from just behind the ribcage. 

Will half-expected it to come alive, grab his hand and say something scary like in movies. Instead, a rat just crawled out of it. He definitely didn’t scream. Carefully now, he grabbed the necklace by the leather and undid it, pulling it away from the boy’s skeleton. He recognized it immediately as a gift from their father, Apollo, and then he realized this was the body of the ghost Nico had seen, and an entirely new wave of sadness hit him. “I’m so sorry this happened to you.”

Hanging from the leather necklace was a gold medallion of the sun, as flat as glass on one side but nowhere near as fragile. It had four triangle corners, as sharp as knives. On the other side, it read ‘To have a light, where there is none.’ Will held it close with both hands. It radiated sunlight, and warmth, as if every bit of sunlight that had ever touched it was inside, waiting to be let loose. This was what he needed, undoubtedly. He felt it. Now all he had to do was get to a source of mist, somewhere. The jungle was full of it still from the morning, if he could just reach it. Easier said than done when you’re in a cage. Will wrapped the leather necklace around his wrist, holding it tightly so he wouldn’t lose it. 

The snakes could be back any moment. He knew there was mist in the jungle, but there was only a _chance_ for it in the temple, and he didn’t know if he’d be able to get out to try for the former if there wasn’t. It was a chance he had to take. But the first matter was the cage. 

It was sturdy, that was clear. The wooden bars were two inches thick, and the clay kept them from being moved. But some of them had to be weaker than others. He checked them all, until he found one that had the least amount of clay, and got to work cutting away at it with a corner of the medallion. It didn’t take long, and he shoved the bar away and hurried down the steps of the temple toward the jungle. 

Will didn’t run far, a little voice in his head told him not to, so he stopped at the biggest cloud of mist he could find, wasting no time in shining the medallion on it. He wanted it to shine, and it did. A rainbow appeared, and he took one of the two drachmas out of his pocket and tossed it into the rainbow.

“Oh Iris, goddess of the Rainbow, please accept my offering.” The coin vanished. “Show me Nico di Angelo.” He requested, and a moment later he felt his breath get taken away as he saw his boyfriend, Nico di Angelo, walking away down a dimly lit path, so all he saw was the back of his head. Being gone for two days made that the best thing he could hope for, until he turned around to face the rainbow when Will called his name. Even better.

“Will?!”

“Miss me?” He replied, and he couldn’t help but smile. Almost all his worries faded when the son of Hades approached the iris message from his end. Before Nico could say anything, Will spoke again, softly. “I miss you. I…I’m sorry, Nico. I’m so—”

“Don’t you do that.” Nico snapped, though despite the furrowed brows and scowl, but Will couldn’t see nothing more than a sliver of anger in his dark eyes. Even then, it was clearly melting away.

“…Don’t do what?”

“That thing you do, that makes it hard for me to be mad at you!”

“Being myself? I don’t know if I can.” Will said with a laugh, before the conversation turned serious. They didn’t have much time. He glanced back at the temple to check for the snakes before looking back. “About the temple—”

“I know.” Nico interrupted, glancing downwards. “We’ll be there soon, just stay out of trouble.” 

“I’m pretty good at that… What did you mean by ‘we’?”

The question was answered by Clarisse, who butted into the rainbow image holding up the plumed skull from before.

“You think I’m going to let some snake monsters get away with sneaking into camp, and making a fool out of me? As if! We’re going to bust into that temple and give them what for!” The daughter of Ares stated, holding up her sword instead now. “By the way, you look like crap.”

“Thanks, Clarisse. But there’s something else.” Will said, and he told the two of them the prophecy the red snake told him, and the skeleton. “It’s like…I’ve got to figure this out. I have another drachma. When I get the chance I’ll call again. For now—” He stopped when he heard rustling in the foliage, peeking over his shoulder. “I don’t have time, if they catch me I won’t—”

“Will, please.” Nico said, lifting a hand as if trying to touch his face through the rainbow. Will wished he could. “Stay safe, we’re going through the labyrinth, it won’t take long.”

“And don’t do anything stupid, Solace. No hippie crap.” Wow, ouch.

“I promise I’ll be fine. But there’s something else—I need to tell you later.” Will said when he caught the sound of hissing, angry hissing, coming closer from the direction of the temple. “Everything will be okay.” He said, and the two of them nodded before he lowered the medallion, and the iris message faded. As Will turned away and pushed past the jungle fronds, he saw the snakes coming toward him. 

 

~Nico~

 

“Hey.” Clarisse grumbled, slapping a bone foot sticking out of the stone walls. “You’re agitating the dead.”

Since the iris message ended, Nico had picked up the pace in the journey through the labyrinth. He held the plumed snake skull tightly in his hands as they walked, letting it guide them to their destination. The residual energy in it from the defeated beast was strong, so much so that it would fly out of Nico’s hands if he didn’t keep a death grip on it. They had learned that as soon as they entered the maze, and the skull had went flying out of his hands. If Clarisse hadn’t grabbed it, they would’ve lost their guide and any chance of getting to the temple before the day’s end. If they couldn’t get to Will before then…

“Duck!”

Nico was slapped out of his thoughts, literally, by a skeletal hand that popped out in front of him. The ghost king, getting smacked in the face by a skeleton? Unbelievable. It caused him to nearly drop the skull in surprise, but he hooked his fingers through the eye sockets at the last moment. It lurched forward, and he was about to go on one wild ride had the Ares counselor not grabbed the back of Nico’s jacket and yanked him back. She took the skull from him before setting him down with a grunt. “I’ll lead, so get your head straight or get your backside back to camp. Got it?!” She barked at him, and Nico immediately straightened up. “Good choice. It won’t do you or Solace any good if you don’t focus.”

“R—Right. Sorry.” 

Nico was glad Clarisse was here, if he had to be truthful. She stopped the skull from escaping several times already, and if she hadn’t spoken up he was pretty sure he’d have a parade of worry-driven skeletons behind him by now. “I just…” He started, when she shrugged him off.

“You’re worried, I get it. We’ll get him back, and send some snakes and their master to the Underworld before dinner time.” She gave a reaffirming nod, and Nico wasn’t sure if it was to him, or to herself. “Camp isn’t losing another counselor before I leave.” He thought he heard her mutter angrily, and then tighten her grip on the skull.  
Nico hadn’t considered that she’d be affected by that. Demigods died all the time, they both knew that but counselors? Clarisse probably knew them for _years_. But since Nico came to Camp Half-Blood, they had gone through many losses; Will’s half-siblings and former counselors Lee Fletcher and Michael Yew, Charles Beckendorf, Silena Beauregard, even Luke Castellan. They were all dead now. That was why she was determined to go with Nico through the Labyrinth, and why she was angry at the infirmary. It wasn’t just about getting revenge on the snakes.

“We aren’t going to lose him.” Nico stated with the same reaffirming nod. “We’re almost there.”

He could sense the dead close by; people who had died building the temple, followers of this ‘master’ killing themselves over the loss of it, and so many children of Apollo being killed trying to bring it back, or trying to stop it. Will wasn’t going to die there.

Their plumed guide skull seemed to get more agitated the closer they got to the vine-covered exit, so much that Clarisse had to use both hands to keep it from flying out of her grip as they pushed through the foliage. They were right outside some underground crypt, and they made their way up the mossy stone steps, meeting a misty jungle with the sun directly above them in the sky.

“Well, we’re in the right place. Let’s—ACK!” The skull whizzed out of Clarisse’s hands, past Nico’s head, and vanished into the green. The Ares counselor looked to him for direction. “There goes our directions. Now what?”

“This way.”

Nico sensed the dead closer now, and he pushed through the plants without another word, with Clarisse following behind him. By the time they reached the temple, the two of them looked like they had just fallen in a river; soaked from head to toe thanks to the combination of the dew, mist, and sun beating down on them. Before either of them could express relief at reaching their destination, a familiar ear-splitting whistle came from inside the temple, followed by loud, angry hissing.

They ran inside.

 

~Will~

 

Will had dodged a bullet—or rather, a snake bite. When the snakes caught him coming out of the jungle, they looked ready to kill him there and then. He stopped them from lifting his hands, and telling them that he was just preparing, and that he was ready to see their master. It wasn’t true, but they believed him. Now he was being led into the temple, with the snakes on either side of him—at least he thought so, it was dark—taking him to caverns unknown.

“Do you guys mind if I have a light?” He asked innocently.

“Light doesss not matter to usss. Do what you will.” The red one hissed.

Will held out the medallion, and it lit up like a super flashlight beam. The orange snake to his left hissed in a way that sounded like an angry laugh.

“I remember that necklace! The sssun child before you. He refusssed our requessst! Sssaid it was not what our massster wanted!” it recalled, and the red one snarled. “Killed our fourth brother and tried to essscape.” Will thought about the skeleton in the cage, and took notice of more skeletons they walked past. 

“What did y—I mean, what happened after that?” Will asked, and the two snake beasts shook their heads.

“We put him in the cage to reconsssider, but he bled too much.”

“Our anger got the better of usss, we ssswore that we would not fail again. You will heal our massster, or never sssee the sssun until you do!”

“Right…” He murmured. “It’s just the two of you now? There’s no other…” With his free hand, he gestured up and down them. The red one snapped at him, and he withdrew his hand.

“Yesss! Becaussse of your companion!” Oh, right. “We are all that isss left! We are all that will ever be! A lossst race!” Will would’ve felt more bad at their despair, but they hadn’t killed just as many half-siblings of his. 

“That’s why you’re so desperate.” Will guessed. “Without you two, your master wouldn’t have anyone to get people to heal them?” The two snake beasts nodded, and the orange one spoke to the red.

“Thisss one underssstandsss! I know he will be the one to grant our massster what it wantsss!”

“Yesss!” The red one agreed, and then snarled at Will as he opened his mouth to speak. “No more quessstionsss! We are near!”

Shutting up, Will looked forward and saw a massive doorway ahead of them, with a soft white light illuminating the inside. He lowered the medallion, but gripped the metal sun tightly. He could tell something was in there, something ancient. And there was something wrong. He didn’t realize how fast he had been walking until he was in the room. 

Room was an understatement. It was an underground amphitheater. The floor was covered in bones, both demigods and the snake beast’s skulls. In the center was a miniature sun—no, that wasn’t right. As he approached he saw it wasn’t just a ball. It was an animal, curled into a ball. An oversized lioness, who lifted her head when Will got close. Pure, dulled blue eyes bore into him, and he fell to his knees as soon as he reached her. One look told him that this beast was dying, and had been, for far too long.

The snakes watched vigilantly as Will lifted a hand to the lioness’ head. The fur was soft, warm like a sunny day. But he could see it dimming slowly before his eyes. Numerous scars broke the light, failed attempts at killing and healing littering the fur. An image flashed through his head of his predecessor, the ghost Nico saw, the one who’s skeleton lay in the cage above them. They had been in his same position, thinking the same thing. She had been suffering for centuries, watching her crazed captors bring and kill more and more children of the sun when they figured out what they needed to do. The snakes thought she needed to be healed, to bring them back to their former glory. They had done this to her, and in return cursed them with failure after failure. A civilization destroyed for it, people driven mad and became beasts themselves over it. But no, the healing wouldn’t work. She couldn’t be healed, nor did she want to. The lioness sought death, a quick death only for herself. It made sense now.

Will felt tears prick the corners of his eyes, and he wiped them away, returning to reality as the snakes approached. 

“You sssee what you mussst do? Heal our massster!” The red one demanded, and Will’s sadness turned to uncharacteristic anger for a brief second before calming. The person before him never went to Camp Half-Blood, but Will did. Nearby, he spotted an abandoned sword, with the familiar glint of Celestial bronze. 

“Yeah, I do.”

It took a loud, taxicab whistle to disorient the snakes. The sound reverberated off the walls of the amphitheater, even out the doorway and throughout the temple. The entire place shook, but Will paid it no mind. He grabbed the sword and swung it behind him as he got to his feet, decapitating the orange snake beast in one move. It exploded into dust, leaving behind only a skull. The red beast screeched in anger and grabbed him by the neck before he could swing again.

“YOU INSSSOLENT BOY! YOU WILL ROT FOR THISSS!” They screeched in his face. Will tried to speak, but the snake only tightened its grip, keeping him out of cutting distance. It was only then that he remembered: he had sunlight in his hand. It lit up like it read his mind, and he shoved it in the snake’s face. Immediately, he was thrown away by the beast, landing on his feet at an angle that if he had the luxury of getting a moment to clutch his ankle and scream, he would. But he didn’t so instead he limped away as fast as he could while the beast was clutching its eyes, out the doorway and into the corridor.

Will thought he got far, but it was dark. He didn’t know where he was, how far down they had brought him, but as soon as he saw stairs he went for it. It hurt like hell, but the hissing close by made him will his body to keep moving until he reached a pillar. He dove behind it, curling up as much as he could while waiting for the hissing to pass by him, clutching the sword to his chest. His ankle throbbed, and when he had a moment that felt safe he took the glass water bottle out of his pocket and pressed it against the joint. It wasn’t much, but it was something to keep him going. It reminded him of a fountain they passed soon after he was first brought inside. If he could find that, he could find his way out.

“But first…” He muttered, looking back to the stairs. He couldn’t leave yet. Slowly pushing himself back up to his feet, he started back to the steps, and was immediately sent flying forward, just to the top of the stairs. The sword in his hand, however, did go flying down the steps. But that didn’t stop Will. He pulled himself down the stairs, almost rolling, while the snake hissed behind him.

“You cannot essscape me!” As soon as Will had gotten to his feet again at the bottom, the snake whipped him in the back with it’s tail and sent him sprawling. “I, the lassst of my people, will never let you forget!” Another whip-like smack, this time the snake’s spines struck. He screamed. “You will rot down here, ssson of Apollo!” He waited for the third tail smack, but it never came. He dared to look back, and with the dim light from the lioness’ den, he saw a skeleton holding the tail back with its boney hands. Behind that, running down the steps was Clarisse, carrying his missing gear and—he got butterflies—Nico, commanding the skeleton. 

The Ares counselor charged at the final snake, sword at the ready, while the son of Hades made a beeline for Will, dropping to his knees in front of him and cupping his face in his hands. Will returned the gesture and they shared a brief, yet deep kiss. Despite all the pain, he smiled against his boyfriend’s lips before he pulled away and helped him up. “I said I’d be fine. You were worried that much?” Will asked, and almost crumpled to the floor again, but instead leaned against Nico for support.

“Shut up. We need to get you out of here, back to camp.”

“Not yet. I…” Will muttered, starting back toward the doorway with the son of Hades’ help. “I need to finish this. I can’t leave until I do.” He looked at Nico, waiting for some form of argument but none came. Clarisse and the skeleton were holding their own against the snake, and he hoped it would stay that way as the two entered the amphitheater. The lioness was still in the center, barely moving save for her pain breathing. Will could relate. On the way over to her, he stopped to grab the sword he had lost earlier.

“Will?” Nico asked quietly when they reached the ancient beast.

“I know what I need to do.” Will responded, sitting right down in front of her face again. Nico stayed beside him, remaining silent like he knew what will meant. The lioness looked at him expectantly, and he put his hand on one of her massive paws. “I know you’ve suffered for so long,” He whispered, his voice cracking. “You’re beyond healing, otherwise I would. I would in a heartbeat. You don’t deserve this.” When he brandished the sword, pointing it at her heart, where the light was brightest, the lioness merely closed her eyes. So did Will, and then he struck. He heard Nico gasp beside him, and he dared to open his eyes.

There was no blood, no scream or roar of pain. The lioness only seemed to relax, before fading into nothingness—No, not nothingness. Small flecks of star dust flew up to the ceiling, slipping through the cracks. The light they were emitting lingered only briefly, but they didn’t know how long it would last. The pair got back to their feet, and turned to the exit just as Clarisse ran in. In the dying light, she didn’t look very victorious.

“We gotta go, now! It’s pitch black out here!” She shouted, grabbing Will’s other arm and pulling it over her shoulder. He shone the medallion light ahead of them to guide their way out of the temple. They heard hissing all around them, and crashing. The entire temple shook around them. “It’s going to bring the stones down on us! What way?!”

“This way!”

Nico ran ahead, not far, pointing. They followed without question, and Will thought he could see ghosts appear out of the corner of his eyes as their final resting place was disturbed. He heard Clarisse grumble.

“Keep moving, Solace. You helped them enough already.”

“Y-Yeah, right.” Will murmured, looking forward. “Nico?”

“We’re almost out.” The son of Hades called back to them, dodging a falling brick before turning a corner. “The exit, this way!” Will heard Nico say, right after turning a corner. He and Clarisse picked up the pace, and the three of them ran, or in Will’s case, hobbled, to the exit. They burst out of the temple, and several rocks collapsed, blocking the way in or out. The trio stopped a few feet away, and Will ignored the pain all over to lean back on the ground to stare at the sunset. It was only a few hours until it would vanish under the jungle canopy, but it was more than he thought he’d see again. 

“Will?” He heard Nico say. He didn’t realize he had closed his eyes, and when he reopened them, the Hades and Ares counselors were looking at him in concern. 

“Don’t clonk out on us now, Solace. We still gotta get back to camp.” Clarisse said, jabbing a thumb in the direction he assumed they had come from. Will nodded, and with her help he got back to his feet, and Nico took his turn supporting him. Just as they were heading away from the temple, the rubble shifted behind them. It happened quick. 

“I’m up for that—”

“I WILL NOT SSSUFFER THISSS!”

Will was glad for Clarisse. She swung her sword in an instant, bringing it down on the snake’s long neck before it could fully escape the stones. It would’ve been a relief, the beast exploding into dust and leaving nothing but a skull, decorated with a red plume. But he had shoved the son of Hades out of the way when the snake lunged, and that same skull’s fangs and teeth were now embedded into Will’s side, the owner’s last revenge. The effect was immediate, and a wave of pain and nausea hit him. Nico and Clarisse were shouting his name, keeping him from falling, but he felt himself losing hold of consciousness. He tried to stay awake, but the venom worked too fast, too well, and he blacked out. 

The last thing he saw were the first stars in the sky, against the setting sun.

 

~Nico~

 

“Will! Wake up, Will!” Nico shouted, gripping the son of Apollo’s shoulder and shaking his limp body. They had tossed the skull away and wrapped the bite wound, as well as given him nectar from Will's bag. Nothing worked. “You are not dying on me! Please! Please…” He begged, with no luck. His pulse was weakening with every second passing by, his body getting colder, and with it rose Nico’s fear. The grass around them started to die, and a few feet away Clarisse was yelling in anger, throwing her sword to the ground and pointing up at the sky and shouting. 

“He did the stupid prophecy, and this is what he gets?! Dying in the middle of a damned jungle?! Is this funny to you?!” Nico watched out of the corner of his eye as she picked her sword back up, aiming it at the sky. “Get down here and heal him, damnit! He deserves that, at the least! COME ON!”

Nico wanted to tell her it was hopeless. After all, who _would_ answer the prayers, or shouting of a daughter of Ares, or the cries of a son of Hades? After the war Apollo had basically been grounded since the war against Gaea—Will had said that nobody at the cabin had been able to speak with their father. If they couldn’t reach him, why would he or Clarisse be any different? No matter how loud of yelling. 

“Clarisse will you—" Just as Nico was about to tell Clarisse to stop, he paused. She had already stopped, and was looking at the edge of the jungle, where stood a girl with auburn hair, dressed in grey camouflage. Nico had only seen her once before, and he had hoped it would be the last time. Out of all the gods and goddesses to appear, it had to be… “Artemis.”

“Spare me your anger, Nico di Angelo. I am here to save my… _nephew_.” The way she said it, like the word wasn’t all that appealing to her, made him angrier. But he bit his tongue as she approached, while Clarisse walked over to stand beside Nico.

“Did Apollo ask you to help, or something? Can you really help him?” That got a laugh out of the huntress, and she shook her head.

“No, dear maiden. My brother did not send me. I am here at another’s request. Will Solace will not die on this day.” Artemis explained, and Nico watched as the abandoned snake skull flew to her outstretched hand. From it, the goddess produced a vial containing a silver-blue liquid, and put her other hand behind Will's neck to tenderly lift his head up. The goddess poured the unknown concoction down the son of Apollo’s throat. “Show me the bite.” She ordered.

Nico lifted Will’s shirt, showing the patched up wound to the goddess. Under the cloth bandage, the outline of the bite was faintly visible, a light purple color but getting darker every second. Artemis poured the remainder of the vial’s contents onto the cloth, effectively covering it. The son of Apollo’s response to it was instantaneous. 

Will’s body shuddered, and then the Apollo counselor let out a gasp. Though he didn’t wake, Nico could see the difference. The color and warmth in his boyfriend’s cheeks returned, and his pulse grew stronger. Nico could only give a sob of relief when Will’s breathing steadied, looking up as Artemis started to walk away. Clarisse was the first to talk.

“Now hang on! Not that we aren’t grateful, but what’s the catch?” The question amused the goddess, judging from the smile on her face.

“The catch?”

“Yeah like…Gods don’t just…” Clarisse waved a hand. “Help demigods for nothing. You aren’t going to ask us for something in return.” The goddess laughed.

“Had it been up to me, I might’ve offered you, Clarisse La Rue, a place with my Hunters in exchange for my help. But no.” Artemis bowed her head to Will, who was now sleeping soundly in Nico’s arms. “He ended the suffering of a beast that should have long returned to the stars. It was her that asked for my help, and so that is what I did.” She explained, turning away again. “If there are no more questions, I will take my leave.”

“Wait.” 

Nico waited for the goddess to look at him before speaking again, and even then, he hesitated. “I just wanted to say…” He looked down at Will, who had started to snore. “To say…thank you.” He muttered the thanks, and Artemis shook her head. 

“Save your thanks, return to your camp. Night will soon be upon you.” Was all she said, before vanishing. The two demigods looked at each other, before returning their attention to Will. 

“I got him, I got him.” Clarisse muttered as she knelt, picking up the son of Apollo carefully, holding him like a baby satyr and looking around the jungle. “Well this all fine and dandy again, but we don’t have a guide back to camp.”  
“We could—” Nico was about to suggest they call the camp via iris-message, when he caught sight of something, no someone, glowing from the direction of the Labyrinth entrance. The ghost from before, smiling and waving to them. They followed a skull here, why not a ghost back? Nico pointed to the specter and said, “I think that’s our guide.” Clarisse followed his finger, and blinked a few times at the ghost.

“Oh. Yeah, that works.”

 

~Will~

 

Will woke up in the infirmary alone, feeling like he got stepped on, and poked in the side _way_ too many times. Thinking back, all he could remember was getting out of the temple and the red snake biting him, before everything went dark. It must’ve put a lot of force into that bite, because it _still_ hurt. How long had he been out for? Looking out the window told him it was dark, which meant he was either asleep for a few hours or a day or more.

He sat up with a groan, pushing off the blanket to look down at himself. Bandages were wrapped around his neck and torso and like a mummy's halter top. Fashionable. He spotted a change of clothes—a camp shirt and a pair of his shorts—at the end of the bed, along with several get-well flowers and snacks from the camp convenience store. He changed into the clothes while he had the room to himself. Would it be hypocritical to leave without the go-ahead from a healer? Probably. Sitting back down, he grabbed a bag of crisps, munched, and looked outside the nearest window. He spotted campers heading to their respective cabins. Nico was probably on his way back, if he had been scolded into going to dinner by the other campers, which is what Will would’ve done. Maybe he scolded him in his sleep, and that’s why he hadn’t been here. 

At that moment, the door to the infirmary opened and in walked the son of Hades, as if on cue. He was looking down at something in his hands, without a single bit of a smile. Obviously, Will had to change the mood.  
“Well, doctor di Angelo? Do I get a clean bill of health?” he called, making his boyfriend jump. Nico was so fast, he could’ve sworn the demigod shadow-travelled right into his outstretched arms. Though if he had, he might’ve shadow-travelling _into_ his arms. That would’ve spoiled the moment. Instead what ruined it was a jabbing pain in his back. “Ow! Was I really asleep long enough for you to _stab_ me over it? Did I snore? Ow!” Nico punched him in the good arm, and held out the medallion.

“The ghost, uh. He told me you could keep this. He said thank you.” The son of Hades explained, before putting the necklace around his neck and tying it. Will held onto it, and smiled when Nico spoke again. “It looks good on you.” Just as he was going to respond, Nico hugged him again. This time however, there was no stabbing involved and Will could hug him back. 

“Nico?”

“You have no idea how close you were to…” Nico trailed off, burying his face in Will’s neck. He heard a sob. “I thought I was going to lose you.” 

“No way I’d bite the dust because of a snake.” Will said, pulling his boyfriend right onto his crossed legs. “I’m too careful for that.” He grinned when he heard a scoff, and Nico lifted his head to give him a hard stare. Will pressed their foreheads together, and waited.

“Yeah right! Mister, ‘I’ll be fine. I promise I’ll be safe’ he says, but ends up getting the crap beaten out of him and refusing to leave until—” Nico complained, until Will halted his rant with a quick kiss, earning a grumble from the son of Hades, who put his hands on either side of Will’s face. “Stupid, selfish, selfless…”

“Which is it?”

“Jerk.”

Will kissed him again, this time not so quick, and Nico relaxed in his arms. They stayed like that for what felt like a long time, kissing like they hadn’t in months when it had only been a few days, with their arms wrapped around each other tightly. But neither of them were a son of Poseidon (Somewhere in New York, Percy sneezed and blushed at the same time for no peculiar reason) and so they broke off their embrace. Will rested his forehead on Nico’s shoulder, rubbing circles on his back while the son of Hades ran fingers through his hair in return. “Will?”

“Hm?”

“No more being a hero nonsense, not for a while.” He heard Nico say, and he lifted his head to meet eyes with his boyfriend. “I’m serious.”

“Doctor’s orders?” A snort, and Nico moved a hand to run a thumb over his lips.

“Yeah, doctor’s orders. Any questions?”

“One. Does ‘hero nonsense’ include—” A hand cupped over his mouth, and Nico gave him a look that made him  
laugh behind it.

“Stop it.” Nico scolded, but he was smiling, in his special ‘trying not to smile but failing’ way. 

Will tried to speak, ‘You asked if I had any questions!’ behind the hand, only for it to come out muffled. The son of Hades seemed to get it, though, and lowered his hand. Just as he was about to speak, a voice called out from the doorway, causing the two of them to jump.

“I have a question. Are you going to get off his lap, or should I wait to tell the Apollo kiddies that they don’t need to pick a new counselor?” Clarisse asked, leaning on the door frame. Not a moment later, Nico scrambled up off of Will, and the bed, blushing beet-red. Will waved to her, rubbing the red off his own face. “Glad to see you back from the dead, Solace.”

“Thanks Clarisse.” Will shook his head, taking turns looking at the two of them. “Since you’re both here…mind filling me in on what happened? We got out of the temple, snake bit me. Then zip.” He made a zero with one hand, watching while Nico and Clarisse gave each other a look. The latter started to explain first, while Nico sat back down and held his hand.

“Well after you clonked out…” She went on from the top, when Will passed out from the bite—"Di Angelo cried”, “Shut up!”— to when Artemis showed up. He didn’t think it likely, but it was true. Because Will, despite every opportunity to run, chose to set free the beast back to where it came. It made sense, considering she was the goddess of wilderness and all. Thanks Aunt Artemis. How they took him back to camp, and he had been asleep for two full days. “And now you’re awake. The end.” 

“You forgot the part about you yelling at the Apollo cabin to shut up about making a shroud for him.”

“It’s a waste of resources! So shut it, ghost boy.” Clarisse scoffed, crossing her arms and pushing herself away from the door. “Whatever. I just came to check that you _didn’t_ need a shroud. Since you don’t, I’m out of here.”  
“Hey!” Will called just as she was walking away, but she stopped and looked at him. “Thanks for, well. Not letting me go alone out into the woods to face some crazed snake beasts.” He said, grinning sheepishly. “Plus everything after that.” Nico nodded beside him.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“Ha! You two would’ve been done for if it wasn’t for me.” Clarisse commented, waving a finger at both of them before stopping at Will. “And don’t think I haven’t forgotten about the _tuba incident_ , Solace.”

“Nobody in my cabin owns a tuba, Clarisse! I _triple_ checked.” 

“Yeah? Then who—”

The three counselors exchanged thinking looks, before the realization hit them. Clarisse was the first, and she stamped her boot on the floor. “STOLLS!” she shouted, turning and stomping away down the hall. A moment later, Will heard her call back “Incoming siblings!” 

Sure enough, footsteps were heard coming down the hall. Soon enough the entirety of the Apollo cabin would be in the infirmary, which apparently meant it was time for Nico to go. Will watched as the son of Hades stood up and stayed next to him while looking to the door.

“I’ll go let Chiron know you’re awake.” 

“Leaving me with all my worried brothers and sisters? Savage.” Will commented, feigning despair until his boyfriend kissed him on the forehead with a smirk.

“You survived worse, I’m sure you’ll be fine. I’ll be back in a bit.”

Will was going to make a smart comment, but could only smile bright when his siblings hurried in, promptly smothering him with hugs and asking questions. In the chaos, Nico had vanished out the room to inform the activities director that Will was awake. In the meantime, he told his siblings the story of the snakes and the starry lioness. Towards the end, some of the Apollo kids had started to doze, which meant one thing.

“Alright, to the cabin all of you.” He announced, standing up—carefully, his ankle reminded him, despite the healing—and slipping on his flipflops. How they didn’t get lost in the jungle, he didn’t know. “We don’t want the harpies to get a midnight snack of curfew-breaking campers.” That got them going, and he gathered his things and ushered his siblings out of the infirmary, following right behind them.

Outside it was dark, but Will led them down the well-lit path to their cabin, listening while the younger of his siblings started to make up their own, over-dramatic versions of what happened, and when he was almost bombarded with a second wave of questions he silenced them with nothing but, “I’ll answer every question _if_ we get a five out of five on the upcoming inspection, how about that?” Grumbles were a yes. 

Just as they reached the cabin, someone grabbed his arm from behind. He stopped in his tracks, looking back to see Nico. The son of Hades wasn’t looking at him, but upwards. It was then that Will noticed several other campers, including a few of his siblings, were also looking up at the sky above the Apollo cabin, pointing, gasping, and murmuring. Oh boy. Curiosity got the better of him and he followed their gazes, and gasped alongside them. 

Directly above the cabin, high in the sky was a constellation that, judging from everyone’s reactions, was not there before. Stars were aligned in the shape of a lioness—his time working long nights in the infirmary, with only crosswords and connect the dots to pass the time told him that—with a circle of stars behind one of its ears. 

“Fitting.” He heard Nico say beside him. “Is that the real thing, you think?” Will recalled the lioness fading into stardust, going upwards through the temple ceiling.

“Could be. Or it could be Artemis doing that star-thing. She did save me, a _boy_. I’m basically her favorite nephew.” Will suggested, and the son of Hades elbowed him in the arm.

“I wouldn’t think about it, she could make you her _niece_.” Whatever face he made, along with poking at Nico’s side for the comment, was enough to make his boyfriend laugh. “So, the lioness?”

“Yeah, we’re sticking with the lioness. And you’re sticking with me tonight?” Will asked, holding a hand out hopefully. Nico took it and nodded.

“Someone has to make sure you don’t keel over in your own bunk.”

“Fair enough, doctor Di Angelo.”

Hand in hand they walked toward the Apollo cabin, and Will looked straight up one last time at the constellation that continued to twinkling brightly overhead. He could’ve sworn he saw two of the stars, the eyes, shine brighter than the rest for a split second before dimming back to normal. Will smiled beside himself, staring up until he was called.

“Will? What’s the matter?” Several of his cabinmates, and Nico were staring at him from the doorway. He shook his head, still smiling as he walked inside.

“Nothing, everything is all good.”

**Author's Note:**

> I tried sticking a POV for Clarisse in, but I couldn't find a good spot for hers. I really enjoyed writing this regardless, and I hope you enjoyed reading it as well! Let me know what you think!


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